Customer Reviews

Brothers in the Kitchen: A Celebration of Friendship and Fine Food

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It is unusual to be completely satisfied once you actually delve into a cookbook and try to produce the "plat".
Brothers in the Kitchen works!
It is clear that much attention was put into clarifying the recipes to make them easy to follow, each with a photograph.
The accompanying essays are light and engaging.
I have ordered several to give as holiday gifts... if not for cooking to impress, to make a beautiful coffee table addition.

Some 35 years ago Brendan O'Farrell, an international business man, and Michel Deville, a French Master Chef, became the best of friends who shared an appreciation for good service and great food. They opened a restaurant (La Table de Michael) in Sain-Remy de Provence near Avignon in the South of France in the spring of 2005. Now having successfully collaborated as restauranteurs, they have combined their love of the culinary arts to publish a compendium of savory recipes laid out with careful step-by-step instructions so clear and concise as to be able to transform ordinary kitchen cooks into accomplished chefs of French cuisine. Wonderfully illustrated throughout with finished dishes, the recipes comprising "Brothers In The Kitchen" range from Tri-Color Salad; to New Orleans Style Gumbo; to Roast Sirloin Encrusted in English Mustard; to Jumbo Prawns Flambe with Pernod; to Spinach with Swiss Cheese Sauce; to Mint Chocolate Delight. Enhanced with the inclusion of wonderful anecdotes and stories, "Brothers In The Kitchen" begins with thematically appropriate advice about how to get started in the kitchen, matching wines with foods, stocks and savors, and goes on to include sage counsel respecting menus, special restaurants and restaurateurs, conversion tables for cooking, and more. "Brothers In The Kitchen" is enthusiastically recommended as a core addition to any gourmet quality kitchen cookbook collection!

This book was a pleasure to read & the pictures made my mouth water. The recipes are designed to be successfully followed by both the seasoned chef & the newly initiated, with pretty impressive results. I tried the "Death by Chocolate" and was ready to go to heaven! Anyone who yearns for a taste of Provence, whether it be at the dinner table or in a favorite reading nook, will be deeply satisfied. Also, unlike some other books of this genre, I think that men would especially enjoy its particular combination of culinary craftmanship, staightforward writing & entertaining stories.

I haven't had a chance to actually make any recipies from the book yet, but just looking at the pictures will get you salivating. Its not for those who are dieting, but then you probably wouldn't make these recipies on a nightly basis. Some good ideas for when you have company.

This cookbook is Outstanding. With the highest quality of flavor combinations and simple directions. Each recipe includes a picture showcasing the masterpieces. The combination of European classics (Seafood Bisque with Cognac, Roast Pork with Herbs in Pancetta and my favorite the Salmon in Puff Pastry) and lovely recipes from India and Thailand; this is a food lovers delight. Interviews with top chefs, gives this cookbook and extra something that is rarely found in a cookbook offered to the public.

When I want to impress my guests or create a meal that reminds me of our travels throughout Europe, this is the Cookbook I reach for. Well done Brendan, I look forward to your next culinary publication.

In August, of 2006 I had the pleasure of meeting author Brendan O'Farrell in France. As an American Expat, my family stumbled upon his restaurant La Table de Michel in St. Remy, Provence. His daughter was our waitress and he graciously visited with us about his love of food and the recent happenings in Canada and in the States that we longed to hear... news about 'home'. He asked us shyly if we would like to pre-order his cookbook that was almost ready to printed and published. Our meal at La Table de Michel was delicious and one of our most memorable dining experiences while traveling throughout Europe, I jumped at the chance to peek into his recipe box. Thank you for sharing this with us.

This is a really great cookbook. It is well organized, has fabulous photos, and the recipes are very easy to follow. Both the recipes and the accompanying anecdotes are written in an exceptionally user friendly style, making this a cookbook that you will want to actually sit down and read! This is one I find myself coming back to, time after time, for easy preparation and terrific results!

Brendan writes exceptionally well. I like his style; it's very upbeat with a joie de vivre feeling. Comfortable punctuation makes the writing flow nicely. It's concise and unambiguous without being the least bit pedantic.
The anecdotes, biographical sketches, introductions to place, and mini-tutorial lead-ins are most enjoyable. (Man, would I have loved some of Michel's 150-pound halibut!) The complementary
information provided about the people and their environments makes the recipes that much more appreciated. I am very much enjoying the book and the learning experience. It's like a travelogue. I have never really "read" a cookbook before. But then, this is not an ordinary cookbook.